Kay’s Happy With His Kennel Star
Happy Haswell bounced back to his best with a terrific 30.37 run at Ipswich on Thursday evening, just four one hundredths off the Best 8 Class Record held by Exhibitionist.
The Reg Kay trained son of Surf Lorian and Teenage Dream was having his first start since finishing at the tail of the field in the Group Three Gold Coast Cup final, but Kay said he was expecting a quick display.
“I gave him a post to post the week before and he just smashed the record so I was expecting him to go good”, Kay explained.
“He pulled up injured after his last run at Albion Park. He was crook in the shoulder and lame for a couple of days, I gave him a week off and lasered it and worked on it and he has come good. Hopefully, fingers crossed, he is ok now.”
The blue brindle chaser, who turns two today, has enormous potential, with Thursday’s victory his 13th at just his 18th career start.
Kay rates Happy Haswell up with the best greyhounds he has had at his young age. That is a big statement from a man who has trained three Queensland Greyhound of the Year winners, Elite State, Size Can Matter and Elite Blue Size, and has won an Australian Trainer of the Year title.
“At this age he is as good as any dog I have ever had. He is pretty ordinary early, but he does have good track sense. When you are against the good top dogs it finds you out but I have got no doubt that he will run 600 later on.”
Happy Haswell and his talented litter brother Good Call Paul are both from Kay’s breeding line. Kay gave their mother, Teenage Dream, to young Hunter Valley enthusiast Cory Clark as a pup when he was living in New South Wales a few years ago.
“I gave him the bitch (Teenage Dream) and when she came on season I had a service to Surf Lorian.
“We put her to him and I got a pup, but I bought another one because I liked them so much.
“When you trial them there is only a tenth between them but Happy has the knack of getting through the field whereas Paul runs up the back of them.”
Good Call Paul is currently on the sidelines after pulling up a bit distressed after his last start victory over the 635 at Lismore. Kay plans to start him again soon before building him back up over the middle distance.
“He nearly broke the record at Lismore but he put in a bit hard and pulled up tardy after the run, I had to give him two weeks off. He is such a hard trier and he is only young.”
As for his brother, Kay is hoping Happy Haswell can feature in the upcoming Group Three Ipswich Cup series.
“If he hadn’t got hurt at Albion Park, Jason (Thompson) wanted to give him a crack at a Prelude of The Melbourne Cup, but that was a setback and it is a bit late to send him now.”
“The heats of the Ipswich Cup are on Saturday week, that’ll be his next mission.”
As for a potential campaign in Victoria, Kay is in two minds as to whether or not to send him down to Thompson, who trained Kay’s Don’t Knocka Him to win the 2012 Golden Easter Egg.
“We are handicapped up here with two tracks and I am one of the old fashioned guys, I don’t like sending them around the same track week after week.”
“I would love to send him down there and give him a go in the big time, but since they put the prizemoney up here it has changed our mind a little bit. The prizemoney here is terrific now.”